Olympus E-P5 vs Ricoh GR III

The Olympus PEN E-P5 and the Ricoh GR III are two digital cameras that were officially introduced, respectively,
in May 2013 and February 2019. The E-P5 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, while the GR III is a fixed lens compact. The cameras are based on a Four Thirds (E-P5) and an APS-C (GR III) sensor. The Olympus has a resolution of 15.9 megapixels, whereas the Ricoh provides 24 MP.

Below is an overview of the main specs of the two cameras as a starting point for the comparison.

Going beyond this snapshot of core features and characteristics, what are the differences between the Olympus PEN E-P5 and the
Ricoh GR III? Which one should you buy? Read on to find out how these two cameras compare with respect to their body size, their imaging sensors, their shooting features, their input-output connections, and their reception by expert reviewers.

Body comparison

An illustration of the physical size and weight of the Olympus E-P5 and the Ricoh GR III is provided in the side-by-side display below. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are available. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The E-P5 can be obtained in three different colors (black, silver, white), while the GR III is
only available in black.

If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size,
the Ricoh GR III is notably smaller (20 percent) than the Olympus E-P5. In this context, it is worth noting that neither the E-P5 nor the GR III are weather-sealed.

The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete and possibly misleading, as the GR III has a lens built in,
whereas the E-P5 is an interchangeable lens camera that requires a separate lens. Attaching the latter will add extra weight and bulk to the setup. You can compare the optics available for the E-P5 and their specifications in the Micro Four Thirds Lens Catalog.

The power pack in the GR III can be charged via the USB port, which can be very convenient when travelling.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the two cameras alongside a broader set of comparators. In case you want to display and compare another camera duo, just click on the right or left
arrow next to the camera that you would like to inspect. Alternatively, you can also use the CAM-parator to
select your camera combination among a larger number of options.

Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.

Any camera decision will obviously take relative prices into account. The listed launch prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The GR III was launched at a lower price than the E-P5, despite having a lens built in. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

Of the two cameras under consideration, the Olympus E-P5 features a Four Thirds sensor and the Ricoh GR III
an APS-C sensor. The sensor area in the GR III is 63 percent bigger. As a result of these sensor size differences, the cameras have a format factor of, respectively, 2.0 and 1.5. The sensor in the E-P5 has a native 4:3 aspect ratio, while the one in the GR III offers a 3:2 aspect.

With 24MP, the GR III offers a higher
resolution than the E-P5 (15.9MP), but the GR III nevertheless has larger individual pixels (pixel pitch of
3.91μm versus 3.76μm for the E-P5) due to its larger sensor. Moreover, the GR III is a much more recent model (by 5 years and 9 months) than the E-P5, and its sensor
will have benefitted from technological advances during this time that further enhance the light gathering capacity of its pixel-units. Coming back to sensor resolution, it should be mentioned that the GR III has no anti-alias filter installed, so that it can capture all the detail its sensor resolves.

The GR III has on-sensor phase detect pixels, which results in fast and reliable autofocus acquisition even during live view operation.

The Olympus PEN E-P5 has a native sensitivity range from ISO 200 to ISO 25600, which can be extended to ISO 100-25600.
The corresponding ISO settings for the Ricoh GR III are ISO 100 to ISO 102400 (no boost).

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

Camera Model

Sensor Class

Resolution (MP)

Horiz. Pixels

Vert. Pixels

Video Format

DXO Portrait

DXO Landscape

DXO Sports

DXO Overall

Camera Model

Olympus E-P5

Four Thirds

15.9

4608

3456

1080/30p

22.8

12.4

895

72

Olympus E-P5

Ricoh GR III

APS-C

24.0

6000

4000

1080/60p

..

..

..

..

Ricoh GR III

Canon G7 X Mark III

1-inch

20.0

5472

3648

4K/30p

..

..

..

..

Canon G7 X Mark III

Fujifilm XF10

APS-C

24.0

6000

4000

4K/15p

..

..

..

..

Fujifilm XF10

Olympus PEN-F

Four Thirds

20.2

5184

3888

1080/60p

23.1

12.4

894

74

Olympus PEN-F

Olympus E-M10 II

Four Thirds

15.9

4608

3456

1080/60p

23.1

12.5

842

73

Olympus E-M10 II

Olympus E-M10

Four Thirds

15.9

4608

3456

1080/30p

22.8

12.3

884

72

Olympus E-M10

Olympus E-PL7

Four Thirds

15.9

4608

3456

1080/30p

22.7

12.4

873

72

Olympus E-PL7

Olympus E-M1

Four Thirds

15.9

4608

3456

1080/30p

23.0

12.7

757

73

Olympus E-M1

Olympus E-M5

Four Thirds

15.9

4608

3456

1080/60i

22.8

12.3

826

71

Olympus E-M5

Olympus E-PL5

Four Thirds

15.9

4608

3456

1080/30p

22.8

12.3

889

72

Olympus E-PL5

Olympus E-PM2

Four Thirds

15.9

4608

3456

1080/30p

22.7

12.2

932

72

Olympus E-PM2

Olympus E-P3

Four Thirds

12.2

4032

3024

1080/60i

20.8

10.1

536

51

Olympus E-P3

Panasonic ZS200

1-inch

20.0

5472

3648

4K/30p

..

..

..

..

Panasonic ZS200

Panasonic GX7

Four Thirds

15.8

4592

3448

1080/60p

22.6

12.2

718

70

Panasonic GX7

Ricoh GR II

APS-C

16.1

4928

3264

1080/30p

23.6

13.7

1078

80

Ricoh GR II

Ricoh GR

APS-C

16.1

4928

3264

1080/30p

23.6

13.5

972

78

Ricoh GR

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but can also record movies. Both cameras under consideration are equipped with sensors that have a sufficiently high read-out speed for moving images, but the GR III provides a faster frame rate than the E-P5. It can shoot movie footage at 1080/60p, while the Olympus is limited to 1080/30p.

Feature comparison

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. The E-P5 and the GR III are similar in the sense that neither of the two has a viewfinder.
The images are, thus, framed using live view on the rear LCD. However, optional viewfinders – the VF-4
for the E-P5 and the GV-1 for the GR III –
are available as accessories. The table below summarizes some of the other core capabilities of the Olympus E-P5 and Ricoh GR III in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

Core Features

Camera Model

Viewfinder (Type or '000 dots)

Control Panel (yes/no)

LCD Size (inch)

LCD Resolution ('000 dots)

LCD Attach- ment

Touch Screen (yes/no)

Mech Shutter Speed

Shutter Flaps (1/sec)

Built-in Flash (yes/no)

Built-in Image Stab

Camera Model

Olympus E-P5

optional

n

3.0

1037

tilting

Y

1/8000s

9.0

Y

Y

Olympus E-P5

Ricoh GR III

optional

n

3.0

1037

fixed

Y

1/4000s

4.0

n

Y

Ricoh GR III

Canon G7 X Mark III

none

n

3.0

1040

tilting

Y

1/2000s

30

Y

Y

Canon G7 X Mark III

Fujifilm XF10

none

n

3.0

1040

fixed

Y

1/4000s

6.0

Y

n

Fujifilm XF10

Olympus PEN-F

2360

n

3.0

1037

swivel

Y

1/8000s

10.0

n

Y

Olympus PEN-F

Olympus E-M10 II

2360

n

3.0

1040

tilting

Y

1/4000s

8.0

Y

Y

Olympus E-M10 II

Olympus E-M10

1440

n

3.0

1037

tilting

Y

1/4000s

8.0

Y

Y

Olympus E-M10

Olympus E-PL7

optional

n

3.0

1037

tilting

Y

1/4000s

8.0

n

Y

Olympus E-PL7

Olympus E-M1

2360

n

3.0

1037

tilting

Y

1/8000s

10.0

n

Y

Olympus E-M1

Olympus E-M5

1440

n

3.0

610

tilting

Y

1/4000s

9.0

n

Y

Olympus E-M5

Olympus E-PL5

optional

n

3.0

460

tilting

Y

1/4000s

8.0

n

Y

Olympus E-PL5

Olympus E-PM2

optional

n

3.0

460

fixed

Y

1/4000s

8.0

n

Y

Olympus E-PM2

Olympus E-P3

optional

n

3.0

614

fixed

Y

1/4000s

3.0

Y

Y

Olympus E-P3

Panasonic ZS200

2330

n

3.0

1240

fixed

Y

1/2000s

10.0

Y

Y

Panasonic ZS200

Panasonic GX7

2760

n

3.0

1040

tilting

Y

1/8000s

5.0

Y

Y

Panasonic GX7

Ricoh GR II

optional

n

3.0

1230

fixed

n

1/4000s

4.0

Y

n

Ricoh GR II

Ricoh GR

optional

n

3.0

1230

fixed

n

1/4000s

4.0

Y

n

Ricoh GR

One difference between the cameras concerns the presence of an on-board flash. The E-P5 has one, while the GR III does not.
While the built-in flash of the E-P5 is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light.

The Olympus E-P5 and the Ricoh GR III both have an intervalometer built-in. This enables the photographer to
capture time lapse sequences, such as flower blooming, a sunset or moon rise, without purchasing an external camera trigger and related software.

Concerning the storage of imaging data, both the E-P5 and the GR III write their files to SDXC cards. Both cameras can use UHS-I cards, which provide for Ultra High Speed data transfer of up to 104 MB/s.

Connectivity comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Olympus PEN E-P5 and Ricoh GR III and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

Camera Model

Hotshoe Port

Internal Microphone

Internal Speaker

Microphone Port

Headphone Port

HDMI Port

USB Port

WiFi Support

NFC Support

Bluetooth Support

Camera Model

Olympus E-P5

Y

stereo

mono

-

-

micro

2.0

Y

-

-

Olympus E-P5

Ricoh GR III

Y

stereo

mono

-

-

none

3.0

Y

-

Y

Ricoh GR III

Canon G7 X Mark III

-

stereo

mono

Y

-

micro

3.1

Y

-

Y

Canon G7 X Mark III

Fujifilm XF10

-

stereo

mono

Y

-

micro

2.0

Y

-

Y

Fujifilm XF10

Olympus PEN-F

Y

stereo

mono

-

-

micro

2.0

Y

-

-

Olympus PEN-F

Olympus E-M10 II

Y

stereo

mono

-

-

micro

2.0

Y

-

-

Olympus E-M10 II

Olympus E-M10

Y

stereo

mono

-

-

micro

2.0

Y

-

-

Olympus E-M10

Olympus E-PL7

Y

stereo

mono

-

-

micro

2.0

Y

-

-

Olympus E-PL7

Olympus E-M1

Y

stereo

mono

Y

-

micro

2.0

Y

-

-

Olympus E-M1

Olympus E-M5

Y

stereo

mono

-

-

mini

2.0

-

-

-

Olympus E-M5

Olympus E-PL5

Y

stereo

mono

-

-

mini

2.0

-

-

-

Olympus E-PL5

Olympus E-PM2

Y

stereo

mono

-

-

mini

2.0

-

-

-

Olympus E-PM2

Olympus E-P3

Y

stereo

none

-

-

mini

2.0

-

-

-

Olympus E-P3

Panasonic ZS200

-

stereo

mono

-

-

micro

2.0

Y

-

Y

Panasonic ZS200

Panasonic GX7

Y

stereo

mono

-

-

mini

2.0

Y

Y

-

Panasonic GX7

Ricoh GR II

Y

stereo

mono

-

-

micro

2.0

Y

Y

-

Ricoh GR II

Ricoh GR

Y

mono

mono

-

-

micro

2.0

-

-

-

Ricoh GR

The GR III is a recent model that features in the current product line-up of Ricoh.
In contrast, the E-P5 has been discontinued (but it can be found pre-owned on eBay). There has not been a direct replacement model for the E-P5 from Olympus. Further information on the two cameras (e.g. user guides, manuals), as well as related accessories, can be found on the official
Olympus and Ricoh websites.

Review summary

So what is the bottom line? Which of the two cameras – the Olympus E-P5 or the Ricoh GR III – has the upper hand? Is one clearly better than the other? The listing below highlights the relative strengths of the two models.

Reasons to prefer the Olympus PEN E-P5:

Better moiré control: Has an anti-alias filter to avoid artificial patterns to appear in images.

More flexible LCD: Has a tilting screen for odd-angle shots in landscape orientation.

More affordable: Was introduced at a lower price, despite coming with a built-in lens.

More modern: Reflects 5 years and 9 months of technical progress since the E-P5 launch.

If the count of individual advantages (bullet points above) is taken as a guide, the GR III is the clear winner of the contest (15 : 8 points). However, the relative importance of the various individual camera aspects will vary according to personal preferences and needs, so that you might like to apply corresponding weights to the particular features before making a decision on a new camera. A professional wildlife photographer will view the differences between cameras in a way that diverges
from the perspective of a family photog, and a person interested in architecture has distinct needs from a sports shooter. Hence, the decision which camera
is best and worth buying is often a very personal one.

In any case, while the specs-based evaluation of cameras can be instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the E-P5 or the GR III perform in practice. At times, user reviews, such as those published at amazon, address these issues in a useful manner, but such feedback is on many occasions incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable.

Expert reviews

This is why expert reviews are important. The adjacent summary-table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, and photographyblog). As can be seen, the professional reviewers agree in many cases on the quality of different cameras, but sometimes their assessments diverge,
reinforcing the earlier point that a camera decision is often a very personal choice.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The ratings were established in reference to similarly priced cameras that were available in the market at the time of the review. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

Other camera comparisons

Did this review help to inform your camera decision process? In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities of other camera models, just make your choice using the following search menu. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.